Drex gnced down at his shoes and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

  “You know,” he said casually, “I was just walking through the hall… minding my own business… when suddenly blood got on my new shoes.”

  He lifted one foot slightly, showing the stain.

  “I followed the trail,” he continued, smirking faintly, “and found your friend here.”

  He gave Daiki a small kick.

  “As for him… he thought he could talk back to me. Thought he was tough.”

  Drex chuckled quietly.

  “Now look at him.”

  Izan’s hands clenched at his sides, but he couldn’t move. His mind was still trying to process what he was feeling.

  Drex dragged Izan and Daiki down the hallway, his grip firm and unyielding.

  “I need you two to clean up this mess,” he said ftly, gncing at the blood-stained floor.

  From her office above, Valeria leaned back in her chair, smirking zily.

  “He could take them,” she said, her voice carrying down the hall. “I’m done with them.”

  Before Izan could react, Drex tightened his grip, dragging both of them forward with deliberate force.

  Izan stumbled, still stunned.

  Soon they reached a corridor where Drex forced a startled janitor to bring hot water, soap, and rags.

  Then he kicked Daiki again.

  “Get up.”

  Daiki flinched awake, groaning.

  “What… happened…”

  “Get to work,” Drex said coldly. “And make it quick. I don’t want to be here all night.”

  Izan and Daiki exchanged a gnce, then quickly began scrubbing the dried blood from the floor.

  After a moment, Izan spoke quietly.

  “…What did you do to him?”

  Drex didn’t answer.

  Izan kept scrubbing, jaw tight.

  “I don’t see any injuries,” he continued. “So how did you knock him out?”

  Drex looked down at him.

  “My aura overwhelmed his.”

  Izan frowned slightly.

  “…How does spiritual pressure knock someone out?”

  Drex leaned casually against the wall.

  “It’s simple. If your aura is far stronger than someone else’s… it crushes them. Their body can’t handle it.”

  He smirked.

  “And besides… I am the strongest in this school.”

  His expression hardened suddenly.

  “Now get back to work. If you want a lecture, wait until after css. You’re not even on my schedule.”

  Izan quickly returned to scrubbing.

  After several minutes, the floor was spotless.

  Drex pushed himself off the wall.

  “After school tomorrow,” he said casually, “you two will spar me.”

  Daiki’s eyes lit up.

  Izan blinked in shock.

  “W-why me? I didn’t ask for this…”

  Drex shrugged.

  “Daiki said you two were partners.”

  Izan turned to Daiki in disbelief.

  Daiki grinned. “Hehehe… we’ll kick your ass tomorrow.”

  Drex ughed.

  “Get some sleep,” Drex said, turning away. “So you can dream about it.”

  He paused, gncing back at them, a faint, cruel smile forming.

  “I’ll make it interesting,” he continued. “If you two manage to nd even one hit on me… I’ll give you 300 points.”

  Daiki’s eyes widened immediately.

  “But,” Drex added, his tone sharpening, “if you don’t…”

  His gaze hardened slightly.

  “Then I take 300 points from each of you.”

  The air grew heavier, thick with the weight of his words.

  Daiki swallowed, but a grin slowly spread across his face anyway.

  Izan, on the other hand, felt his stomach tighten. “You’re serious…?”

  Drex only chuckled softly as he walked away.

  “Sleep well.”

  Daiki’s eyes widened.

  Izan smacked him lightly upside the head.

  “You can’t just volunteer me! What are we supposed to do? We only fight up close—we don’t have long-range or even mid-range abilities!”

  Daiki just ughed.

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  Izan chuckled nervously, shaking his head.

  That night, Daiki dragged Izan to dinner before the cafeteria closed, insisting he needed to eat properly. They ate roast chicken, potatoes, and sad while Daiki talked nonstop about the fight.

  Afterward, they cleaned up and went their separate ways.

  Izan quietly made his way to their dorm. Peeking through Rin’s slightly open door, he saw Rin and Sayaka sleeping peacefully. Their cat was curled up beside them, purring softly.

  He couldn’t help but smile faintly at the calm scene before him.

  Izan smiled softly.

  Then he showered and went to sleep.

  Morning came quickly.

  Izan and Rin finished their routine and headed to homeroom while Sayaka remained half-asleep, mumbling about how early it was.

  Only the commanding students were already present.

  Daiki waved loudly when they entered.

  Next to him sat the youngest commanding student, Kawa, who waved enthusiastically.

  “Good morning!”

  Ayame muttered in annoyance.

  Aiyana gnced curiously at the two of them, while Shiranami stared at the clock, looking irritated by the noise.

  Kawa leaned forward eagerly.

  “So this is the new student with the Amagawa girl? What an interesting pair.”

  Izan sat down and quietly asked Daiki, “Is she your best friend or something?”

  Kawa gasped dramatically.

  “I AM his best friend! His only friend!”

  “I had other friends!” Daiki protested. “We just had different schedules, that’s all!”

  “Right,” she said sarcastically.

  Rin giggled softly.

  “They really are close,” she whispered to Izan.

  He nodded.

  After css, Izan nervously waited, his hands fidgeting slightly. He knew he was just a little on edge—thinking about the fight with Drex made his stomach tighten.

  Daiki nudged him. “Wake up.”

  “Huh?” Izan mumbled, snapping out of his thoughts.

  Kawa tilted her head curiously. “You must be tired.”

  “…Yeah,” Izan admitted, forcing a small smile.

  They walked outside together, deciding not to even try the lunch line. Instead, they found a quiet spot through the academy grounds, away from all the usual chaos, where they could catch their breath and talk without interruption.

  Izan asked, “Kawa, what’s your schedule?”

  “Aurelia, Yurei, and Drex,” she answered.

  Izan blinked. “Why weren’t you in Aurelia’s css yesterday?”

  Kawa puffed her chest proudly.

  “I overslept.”

  Izan and Daiki stared at her, speechless.

  Daiki sighed. “She does that a lot.”

  Rin smiled faintly. “We have the same schedule.”

  Kawa lit up and hugged Rin from behind while walking.

  “It’s fate! We’re going to be best friends!”

  Izan shook his head, smiling slightly.

  “Alright, you two should go rest or head to css,” he said softly.

  Rin nodded, gently tugging Kawa along as the younger girl rambled excitedly about how much fun they were going to have.

  “See you ter, Izan! Don’t work too hard!” Rin called over her shoulder, waving.

  “Take care!” Kawa added, still bouncing with excitement.

  Daiki waved at them too. “Later, you two! Try not to get into trouble while I’m gone!”

  Izan chuckled softly and waved back before turning toward the training grounds.

  As Daiki and Izan walked toward Raikuro’s training area, the outdoor grounds were already bustling. Students were scattered across the field, practicing with training equipment. Aiyana moved gracefully on her own, practicing strikes and dodges, while Ayame and Shiranami faced off nearby, their movements fluid and intense as they silently dared each other to make a mistake.

  Raikuro gnced over his shoulder as the two approached.

  “Well, I wasn’t expecting to see you early, Izan,” he said with a small smirk. “Daiki, of course… you’re always early.”

  Daiki chuckled, and Izan gave a nervous ugh, his gaze sweeping over the other students. The field was alive with energy, and the training was already intense.

  Raikuro shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips as he looked at them. “Looks like it’s for you two to join the party, huh?”

  Izan swallowed nervously. He could feel the weight of the other students’ focus as they continued to train, mentally preparing himself for the challenges ahead.

  Raikuro wasted no time putting them both to work, having them run through warm-ups, stretches, and footwork drills. Daiki led Izan through each movement, correcting his form when needed, while Izan tried to keep up, his chest rising and falling with exertion.

  By the time the other students started arriving after lunch, Izan and Daiki were already deep in training. Many of the students groaned zily at the sight of them already pushing themselves so hard.

  Raikuro ughed, cpping his hands. “Put your things down and get to work! No scking off just because these five are already sweating!”

  Sera walked onto the field with her usual confident stride, smirking at the sight of them. “Well, I’ll be damned. If it isn’t the new guy and the furry commander already working like maniacs.”

  Haru waved loudly at Izan. “Hey! Izan! Good to see you!”

  Izan gave a small, awkward wave back while trying to maintain his squats.

  Raikuro suddenly stepped into Haru’s line of sight, blocking him from seeing Izan clearly. With a teasing smile, he leaned slightly toward Haru.

  “Wait… why didn’t you wave at me? You don’t… like me or something?” Raikuro asked, his tone pyful but sharp.

  Haru’s face turned bright red. “N-No! That’s not true! I mean… I just… I didn’t think—uh, I mean, of course I would wave!” he stammered nervously, filing his hands.

  Sera ughed softly beside them, shaking her head.

  Raikuro cpped his hands, breaking the distraction. “Everyone! Back to training!”

  The training continued, and soon the css was halfway through. Raikuro called for a ten-minute water break. Most students bent over, breathing heavily as they gulped water from the nearby fountain.

  Izan wiped his brow and said, “I’ll be right back,” heading toward the fountain for water.

  Daiki watched him with a small grin, bouncing slightly with excitement. “Oki,” he called after him, clearly enjoying watching Shiranami and Ayame shot daring gnces at each other, silently challenging the other to take a break first.

  Aiyana sighed and walked to the fountain, muttering under her breath.

  Izan tilted his head, confused, as he took a sip from the water fountain.

  “I hate you,” she muttered quietly, her eyes flicking briefly toward him.

  Izan finished drinking from the fountain and looked up at Aiyana. “Hey… why did you say that?” he asked gently.

  She didn’t respond, ignoring him completely, her eyes fixed somewhere else.

  As she gnced toward the woods, her eyes met the cat’s—its gaze sharp and unblinking. For a brief moment, her heart skipped a beat, a strange unease settling in her chest. She quickly looked away, trying to shake off the feeling, but the cat continued to watch her silently, as if it understood more than it should.

  After everyone had taken water, Izan waited by the fountain. Daiki returned quickly, grinning. “Hey! You ready for the final training of the day?”

  Izan nodded, adjusting his stance and stretching his arms.

  Izan then asked quietly, “Hey… why do you think Aiyana hates me?”

  Daiki blinked, confused. “Hates you? Why would she hate you?”

  “I don’t know… she just does,” Izan muttered. “Whenever she’s around, she randomly gnces at me… and just now, she looked at me like she hates me or something.”

  Daiki chuckled. “Maybe she’s got a crush,” he teased.

  Izan gave him a deadpan look. Daiki realized his joke was foolish and ughed awkwardly. “Shut up. Let’s get back to training.”

  Sera and Haru moved next to them as they resumed.

  “Why are you two training like you’re actually fighting?” Sera asked, eyes narrowing, curious and amused.

  Izan and Daiki hit each other lightly, dodging and countering softly, trying to mimic what they had observed Yara and Raikuro do during their first sparring sessions.

  Then Daiki suddenly raised his voice. “We’re going to fight Drex this evening!”

  The surrounding students froze mid-movement, and all eyes turned toward them. Even Raikuro paused, tilting his head.

  Izan sighed heavily.

  Haru’s face turned pale. “That’s… that’s a death sentence. If you try to spare Drex, he’ll throw you in the recovery center for at least a month,” he said nervously, shivering as if he were the one facing the fight.

  Sera ughed softly. “Why do you have to be so dramatic?”

  “I’m not!” Haru rushed to defend himself, speaking rapidly. “He’s… he’s dangerous, okay?”

  Raikuro suddenly appeared behind him, and Haru froze, shaking in pce.

  “You should be focusing on your sparring soon, huh?” Raikuro said with a ugh. Haru whimpered like a puppy and stepped aside.

  Raikuro turned back to Izan and Daiki. “Good luck,” he said, smacking their backs hard. They tried to act like his hits meant nothing, but the sting of his strength made them wince.

  Izan spotted Aiyana gring at him across the field.

  Shiranami and Ayame, walking together, suddenly shouted at the same time, “Drex is mine! So don’t get in the way!”

  Realizing they had said it together, they repeated in unison again. “That includes you too, idiot!”

  Angry, they both lunged at each other, rolling across the grass and shouting, “Stop copying me!”

  Raikuro ughed, watching their fight unfold, while Sera chuckled beside him.

  Izan and Daiki stood frozen, dumbfounded, unsure where to even look. Haru crouched on the ground, too nervous to rise.

  Soon, the css ended, and most of the students scattered to rex, but Izan and Daiki stayed behind, taking a twenty-minute break to prepare. They made their way to Drex’s cssroom, where a note awaited them: they were to report to the arena.

  “Where’s that?” Izan asked, gncing around.

  Daiki grinned, already heading toward the door. “It’s outside. Follow me.”

  The two of them walked briskly across the open grounds until they reached the circur arena. The rge ptform in the center was slightly raised, surrounded by a low stone wall — the perfect pce for a sparring match.

  As they climbed a few steps onto the ptform, Daiki raised his voice, excitement evident. “We’re ready!”

  Izan froze for a moment, caught off guard by his enthusiasm. Before he could react, Drex appeared in an instant, standing directly in front of them. His hands shot out, positioning themselves just inches from their faces, his aura radiating menace.

  The tension in the air was thick, the ground beneath them almost trembling from the sheer force of Drex’s presence. He was ready — poised to push them through the ptform at any moment.